Half of Hungarian Parents Expect their Children to Work Abroad – Survey

Almost half of all Hungarian parents believe their children could be tempted to seek work abroad as the country continues to struggle against high unemployment in the 15 to 24 age range, according to a new poll.

The survey by Jobline, one of Hungary’s largest job advertisement websites, found that many families expect their offspring to be employed outside Hungary for an average one-to-two years.

The prospect of earning higher wages abroad or facing unemployment at home continues to lure the country’s youngsters to West European countries and elsewhere.

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Those moving abroad can expect to earn much more than in Hungary. Jobline head Gabor Toldi told the Wall Street Journal that West European youngsters who move abroad do so for other reasons than the need to find a well-paid job.

“This is a sorry phenomenon as it compares to [a motivation for] learning languages or discovering another culture for citizens of some Western European countries,” he said.

The parents of children who leave school with only basic qualifications were more likely to expect their children to move abroad than those of academic high achievers.

A separate study called Hungary’s Youth 2012, conducted every four years and published this year, showed 52% of those aged between 15 and 29 were ready to leave Hungary temporarily for education or a job. Of this number 12% were prepared to go for good. Those who were able to speak foreign languages were, understandably, most likely to leave.

The Jobline poll found that one-third of parents of high school students or undergraduates expected their children to study abroad.

Even so, studying abroad remains little more than wishful thinking for most Hungarians. Official figures show that only 0.5% of all undergraduates started the current semester at a university abroad out of around 70,000 students.

“There’s an increasing trend, however, and this may rise to around 2% to 3% in three years,” Mr. Toldi said.

The poll showed that 39% of those who expected their children to study abroad regarded the U.K. as their most likely choice. Austria and Germany took second and the third place honors with 29% and 28% each. The U.S. was fourth with just 9%, due mainly to its higher costs and the distance from home.

Across Central Europe the drive for Slovaks to work abroad has decreased in recent years following an upward trend at the time of the country’s European Union accession. Czechs tend to stay at home because of the country’s more favorable circumstances.

In the meantime, the number of people leaving Poland to find work abroad increased last year, the local statistics office said this week.

Unemployment among Poles aged between 15 and 24 reached 26% in the second quarter this year compared with 27% in Hungary.

Sean Carney in Prague and Patryk Wasilewski in Warsaw contributed to this article.

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